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Official Parallels Primer Thread
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ghporter
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Oct 7, 2006, 10:08 PM
 
Ok folks, here's the deal. I just read everything I could about Parallels on their site, the files that come with the download, posts here and elsewhere, and I still see a LOT of ways to go wrong. Not badly, perhaps, but not well either.

So I am soliciting inputs for the Official Parallels Primer. Post here what you think the basics are, the pitfalls, the subtle things that can make everything wonderful or horrible, etc. I'll (eventually) put it all together into a hopefully concise source of information.

Fire away!

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
craigb6
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Oct 8, 2006, 07:45 AM
 
Well I think the top tip is to install Parallel Tools after you install a Windows Operating System in Parallels. When you are logged into Windows go to VM/Install Parallel Tools. It greatly improves the speed of the mouse, graphics and has the 'shared folders' feature. It's a shame really that they only have this for Windows at the moment, hopefully they have it for other OSs soon!
MacBook 2.0GHz | 2GB RAM | 80GB HDD
http://craigb6.blogspot.com/
     
rebelyell2k5
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Oct 11, 2006, 11:52 PM
 
Yeh the biggest thing is to install your parallels tools, which fully integrates XP in parallels with OSX. It does so much.

Also I would edit the OS (XP) (edit button at bottom) and change the RAM allocation from the default number to the "suggested amount" which parllels provides.
     
crazycylon
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Oct 31, 2006, 03:38 PM
 
It also appears that you have to use Parallels in an Administrator account in OS X in order successfully install the OS.

I had been unable to successfully install Windows XP in my normal user account, kept getting an error. I then logged into the Administrator account and had no problems installing Windows XP.
As a man comes, so he departs.
     
MrN79
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Nov 7, 2006, 07:17 AM
 
I tried to install WinXP using the Parallels demo, tried because the WinXP disk would give me an error code. Exchanged the disk for a new one and got a different error code. After some frustrating tries i canned the demo and went with BootCamp which installed with no problems using the same WinXP disk that gave me the error code.

Problem in Parallels?
     
Cold Warrior
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Nov 9, 2006, 07:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by MrN79 View Post
I tried to install WinXP using the Parallels demo, tried because the WinXP disk would give me an error code. Exchanged the disk for a new one and got a different error code. After some frustrating tries i canned the demo and went with BootCamp which installed with no problems using the same WinXP disk that gave me the error code.

Problem in Parallels?
I installed winxp sp2 on my new MBP C2D 15" with the parallels demo and had no problems. Smoothest Windows install ever.

Were you logged in as an admin in mac os x when you tried to get it working?
     
bluedog
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Nov 17, 2006, 11:24 PM
 
Well I installed Parallels on a 15" MacBookPro for my boss and set up WinXP with some software he's familiar using to help ease the transition and keep the apps that have no equivalent for mac.

One pitfall, the USB for PC apps appears to be USB 1.1 compatible, so your connection for the PC will be slower transfers. When syncing a Treo650 its much slower than the PC laptop with USB 2.0 hardware. This could be fixed with new drivers or an update but still something to notice.

The USB will only access two USB devices at one time (you can have them accessible on the Mac side and enable only two at a time on the PC.

His canon digital camera bluescreens Windows when transferring images to the PC using the Canon Zoom Browser software (I'm sure its non-coventional drivers from Canon with this issue). Ohter USB devices have worked very well.

Video performance is very good when the tools are installed. Setting up a shared drive after installing the Parallels tools in WinXP for better integration is a plus. I recommend sharing the Mac user's Document's folder. Then any common file formats will be accessible to both when saved there.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND as much RAM as you can afford to make the virtual systems run smoothly. If you run more than one OS at a time the RAM requirements really take its toll if you don't have enough. Parallels allows you to run more than one OS in a virtual environment. This is great for testing/development. I'd like to see Parallels running a sandboxed OSX (which isn't possible now).

I haven't found a perfect solution yet for common items like CD-ROMs and Music CDs and USB devices that the MacOS wants to automatically handle. One grabs the USB device or CD-ROM and then its inaccessible to the other side. You can disable iPhoto automatically getting your camera but then its less friendly. Or you can opt to only connect to the USB device or CD drive manually on the PC side. Its frustrating when you put in a disc, and it doesn't show up on the Mac side until you disable the CD(disconnect) on the PC running.

Any suggestions on the shared devices and how to make them work smoothly would be appreciated.

I've also had experience with VMWare on Linux and PCs and heard of development for Macs. It is much more developed for enterprise use and look forward to its release. It has a lot of nice features and may have a little more corporate backing in the long-term due to its history. Look for it on the horizon if you find Parallels isn't fitting your needs and BootCamp isn't convenient enough.
     
hatim
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Jan 17, 2007, 08:31 AM
 
The new Parallels beta (3120) is awesome. No need for bootcamp now ...All I need now is another gig of memory
     
kingoat
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Jan 25, 2007, 07:05 AM
 
Ok so, i'm planning to buy parallel but i'm not sure if its the newest version. 3120. Or does it not matter cuz i can update that? Also i'm planning to get leopard when i comes out, will parallel work on it? thanx
     
NJRonbo
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Jan 27, 2007, 06:45 AM
 
I bought the boxed version of Parallels a few weeks ago. Waiting
for the release of VISTA on Tuesday to finally install it.

I want to use the BETA version as it has all the newest support features.

Question...

What's the best way to install it? Should I install the boxed version first
and then the BETA right over it?

Or, should I just install the BETA from the getgo and use the registration
key that came with the boxed version?

Finally....

What is with Parallel Tools? Is that a FREE add-on that gets installed
afterwards or do you have to pay for it?

Thanks, in advance, for the help
     
Zarqawi's Eye
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Jan 28, 2007, 12:01 AM
 
install boxed, input code, then install beta

Tools comes with parallels
     
NJRonbo
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Jan 28, 2007, 04:51 AM
 
Thank You!
     
ngift
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Feb 5, 2007, 07:02 PM
 
     
k2director
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Feb 6, 2007, 01:20 AM
 
For now, all I want to do with Parallels is run the PC version of Quicken on it, and that could very well be the only thing I do with Parallels.

Can anyone tell me if there's any benefit to buying Windows XP Pro, versus the Home edition (which is cheaper), provided that I merely want to run Quicken?
     
NJRonbo
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Feb 6, 2007, 06:44 AM
 
Personally, I can't see buying XP PRO just to run on a virtual machine. For your purposes, I would
think the Home edition would be just fine.

Based on my experience so far with Parallels, I think you'll be adding a lot more Windows software
to it. This program is un-believe-able!
     
ghporter  (op)
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Feb 6, 2007, 09:03 AM
 
For just running Quicken, there's no need for the Pro version. If you want to do anything beyond running apps, such as any involved networking configurations, Pro is the choice to make, but it doesn't sound like you need that.

I get around this by getting the student-priced XP Pro from my school-it was about $20. My school has a campus agreement with MS, so all of their software is VERY affordable. If you're in school, your school may have something similar...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
RBattin
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Feb 6, 2007, 06:00 PM
 
For a one application need like when you have to have IE6 I've heard good things about Crossover. I see Quicken is one of their officially supported PC software:

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/30730
     
crazycylon
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Feb 6, 2007, 11:33 PM
 
Has anyone been able successfully get XP to recognize the built in iSight camera when running parallels?
As a man comes, so he departs.
     
k2director
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Feb 6, 2007, 11:47 PM
 
Thanks for the answers, guys. I checked out Crossover, but noticed that they list Quicken 2004 as supported, but no mention of Quicken 07. Plus, Quicken has a Silver rating, indicating some bugs and other weirdness. So I think I'll just dig up a copy of Windows cheaply.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Feb 7, 2007, 08:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by k2director View Post
Thanks for the answers, guys. I checked out Crossover, but noticed that they list Quicken 2004 as supported, but no mention of Quicken 07. Plus, Quicken has a Silver rating, indicating some bugs and other weirdness. So I think I'll just dig up a copy of Windows cheaply.
Depends on your definition of "cheaply" and your situation. Your employer could have a site license and be able to provide you with a disc-as long as you meet the criteria in their site license. If you're in college, your school may have a campus agreement with Microsoft-I got XP for about $20 from my school. Or you may have to just hit Newegg or eBay and start looking. As I posted yesterday, if you just want to run a few programs, you don't need Pro, so you can save money by shopping for the Home version.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
crazycylon
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Feb 12, 2007, 11:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by crazycylon View Post
Has anyone been able successfully get XP to recognize the built in iSight camera when running parallels?
The solution I did was to download bootcamp and use the bootcamp assistant to burn a CD of the drivers. I installed the drivers into XP through parallels and after rebooting XP the iSight camera was recongnized and it now works through XP.
As a man comes, so he departs.
     
fhoubi
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Mar 10, 2007, 04:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by NJRonbo View Post
This program is un-believe-able!
Agreed highly, installed build 3186 and bought a key after less than a week. Haven't booted into Bootcamp since. Works great with Bootcamp and "own" virtual images.

Took my iMac to my office yesterday and within minutes I hit our MSQL servers from within a virtual VB2005 session, our IT had their jaws dropping on the floor...

Tip: make an iso-image of an(y install) cd with the Parallels Image Tool and connect to it, it prevents an 1 hour vibrating cd-drive at least on my iMac, and it is xxx times faster anyway.
I'm-a trying to wonder, wonder, wonder why you, wonder, wonder why you act so.
     
rogercohen
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Mar 18, 2007, 09:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by crazycylon View Post
Has anyone been able successfully get XP to recognize the built in iSight camera when running parallels?
Parallels: Installing iSight Camera Support Breaks MacBook Pro's Photo Booth. How to Fix Photo Booth, and How to Make iSight Work in Parallels Windows XP.

Pardon this long posting, but I hope it will help save some users from great frustration.

The new version of Parallels (Parallels Desktop 3188 Mac) now permits use of my Intel MacBook Pro's built-in iSight camera. I followed Parallels's instructions to enable support, which promptly broke iSight and Photo Booth
on my MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, through a long installer process, and did not enable iSight in Windows XP. I finally fixed the iSight with the help of Apple Care, and then enabled Parallels iSight support in a different manner, with no installer script. All of that is
described below, with the associated links.

The Parallels web site has a posting on the "Ask Ben About Anything" blog at:

<http://parallelsvirtualization.blogs...nything-workin
g-with-isight.html>.

The blog instructs us to download and install the "Mac Drivers for Windows into your guest OS," and provides the following URL for a 138 MB .exe file:

<Parallels Download Center
indows%20XP.exe>

Upon copying that file onto Windows XP desktop, that .exe file reveals
itself to be an Apple branded installer, with the following text in the license screen:

"Apple Computer, Inc.
Software License Agreement for Boot Camp Assistant Beta"

The installation took quite a long time. After the installer was complete, Windows reported several errors about the installation, and the iSight camera did not work or show up in the Windows Control Panel -> Printers and
Other Hardware -> Scanners and Cameras. The Windows install "Cameras Wizard" could not enable the iSight camera. I tried to use the Windows Install Shield to remove whatever had just been installed, but it could not.

I then moved back to my MacBook Pro's Finder 10.4.8, and tried Photo Booth. But Photo Booth reported "Photo Booth cannot open because no camera is attached or the camera is in use by another application."

I tried everything I could think of to fix Photo Booth, including:
restarting, reinstalling Photo Booth, dumping caches, repairing permissions, uninstalling Parallels, restarting the Mac in Safe Mode, creating a new user
account and replacing the entire Windows XP hard drive image from a backup copy I made before installing iSight in Windows. No dice. Photo Booth was still broken.

I then tried to shut down the MacBook Pro, which froze during shut down. That's when I called Apple Care.

Apple Care had me pull the battery and the power from the MacBook Pro, and then hold the power button down for 10 seconds. They then had me replace the battery and power cord, and restart by what I presume is the equivalent of "zapping the PRAM." But the procedure they gave me was a bit different from what we have been previously instructed. "Hold down the command, option and R keys with your left hand. While holding them, hit the power
button with your right hand, let go of power only, and immediately also
press the P key. Keep these four keys down through three Mac startup
'bongs.'"

Upon the MacBook Pro's restart, Photo Booth and the iSight camera worked properly.

But I still wanted to enable the iSight in Windows XP. I found a discussion of this at the following URL, where you can download "Handy iSight Drivers for XP," in a 1.4 MB .zip file titled iSight.zip. The zip file decompresses to six Windows files, which end in .dll, .sys, .inf and .cat.

<http://www.maconlysource.com/?p=885>

I copied those six files over to Windows XP in Parallels, and ran the Windows Install Cameras Wizard. The wizard permits you to select "Have Disk." I pointed it to a single file in the folder containing those six files, and let the wizard continue.

Now the iSight camera works on both the MacBook Pro and in Windows XP in Parallels.
     
Ruudchen
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Apr 2, 2007, 08:56 AM
 
Rogercohen, as of today, you are one of my heroes Thank you so much for your post, I was experiencing exactly the same problems, trying to get my built-in iSight to work in parallels for months, and now they're solved, thanks to your clear description of what to do! I wish all the help desks were this clear, but unfortunately that's not the case yet... thanks again!!

Ruud
     
SVass
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Apr 20, 2007, 05:08 PM
 
Can we go back to the beginning and tell me how to upgrade the version from the one on the CD. Do I have to sign up for a beta group or is there some site that covers me?? (I own a brand new legal copy that appears to be an old build!) sam
Problem solved! Now how do I get Windows 98 installed?
( Last edited by SVass; Apr 26, 2007 at 02:47 PM. Reason: problem solved)
     
ghporter  (op)
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Aug 3, 2007, 06:37 PM
 
To upgrade, all you have to do is download the latest version and use your purchased CD key to activate the installation. No biggie. True, they don't explain it in the documentation very well, but it's pretty easy to do.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
ghporter  (op)
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Aug 3, 2007, 06:39 PM
 
NOTICE: Parallels has what's called a "Smart Select" feature that can cause some "interesting" effects. Like when you double click on a Word document it opens Parallels, the Windows virtual machine, and Word (the Windows version) to open the document. Read this thread for details and a fix.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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